“I sent them away early this morning,” she stated with confidence. She knew he would be angry with her.
“You what? Why?” The rage was building, and she could see it.
“You don’t want to get to them so easily do you? Where is your thrill of the hunt?”
“I don’t give a damn about the hunt Kelsha! Ahh, I need that girl. She is dangerous to me, you know that!”
“I do know that Jax, she, being the chosen one and all, but she is not ready to be an able opponent for you. Not yet, let her find her way to you. The pleasure of winning will be that much sweeter.” He grunted and rubbed his face, clearly frustrated.
“Plus, they know about my gift. Akayleah is my sister, remember? Anyway, if I had let you come without warning them they would have suspected something. This way, they trust me and promised to keep me informed, and then I can report back to you.” She was sitting across from him, completely relaxed. She didn’t see the flaw in her plan. She thought Jax was being too hasty, too anxious.
He sat up and she could see some of the tension melt away. He eyed her, his face a blank canvas. He was thinking, planning. She wondered if he would tell her what was in his mind. He was one person she couldn’t hear the thoughts of unless he let her in. She wasn’t sure if it was a flaw in her ability or if he had just practiced at clearing his mind in front of her. Finally, he spoke. “Well, Kelsha, you have proven your worth yet again! You were right to let them go this time. I will expect you to report back to me on their whereabouts and goings on.”
“Of course Jax, it also seems you and my lovely sister have a history. Are you aware that her son was fathered by you?” Her words caught him off guard. She had been slightly jealous when she heard her sister’s worried thoughts. She pushed the thought away, knowing Jax came to her now.
“Are you sure?” He asked her.
“Yes, I am positive and she is terrified the two of you will find out. She has taken great pains to keep this a secret from Shep and from you.”
This information was a shock to Jax, but he didn’t want to reveal that much to Kelsha. This would add another layer to his plans. He would need to get to Akayleah, but didn’t say this to Kelsha. He continued on as though this didn’t faze him.
“How will you be in contact with them? Did they tell you where they are going next?”
“Yes, they are traveling across Lake Aruna and plan to cross upon Barlaam, after that I am not sure, but they promised to keep in touch via Lilly’s Aria. She will bring me updates.”
“Hmm, so I guess I just wait.”
“Yes, for now. Where are you holding Annika Levannah?” She would love nothing better than to kill the woman herself. She was being blunt and knew he would likely not tell her.
“Now you know I can’t reveal that to you. Only myself, and the guards I have posted know where she is. I can’t take the chance of someone finding her before I marry her. Once we are wed she will have no choice but to stay with me and together we will rule Neveah.” He spoke it with such enthusiasm she almost believed it to be true. She knew otherwise of course.
Yes, she had been his lover for years and felt she owed him her life, her sanity, but she knew all too well that a large quantity of Neveah stood for the current Lord and Lady Levannah. Only a very few would stand with Jax, Kelsha being one of the few. He did not have enough followers to take over power, not even if he married that wretched woman. She didn’t dare reveal any of this to Jax. She would play her part until it was time to do otherwise. Then she would make her move. She knew this was a war Jax would not win, but she would not go down with him. She would kill him first.
~Chapter Seventeen~
Annika had been Jax’s prisoner for weeks. She tried to escape a multiple of times, but always came up short of freedom. He had guards at every window, every door. She spent day after day in that room. One of the guards was an ally of her father and had told her of Lilly’s arrival. He had also told her the prophecy about Lilly being the chosen one to stop Jax. He was able to bring her information and stories, but in no way could he help her escape. They would both be murdered before they made it off the grounds. The thought of her daughter being in Neveah made her sick but knowing she was on her way to face the very man Annie had fled from nearly killed her. How could she have trusted Jax? She should have known James would never reveal himself to her the way Jax did.
He looked so much like him though. She had been so happy to see his face again. She acted on impulse the day she left with him. She left the note for Lilly expecting her to find her mother with her father, happy and alive. Not this, oh God not this. The guilt was overwhelming. She spent most days in bed, unable to move. Visits from Cyrus, one of the giants that guard Neveah, was the only time she would rise from her bed. It was Cyrus who was posing as a guard and brought her up to date information on the whereabouts of her daughter. He also informed her of Leah and Shep’s arrival to Neveah. She found some comfort knowing they had come to help Lilly. Leah would help her understand this world. She knew how dangerous Jax was and would do her best to keep Lilly safe.
She had woken today and dressed, anticipating the arrival of Cyrus. She couldn’t wait for the Lilly update. A knock came from the door. Annie assumed it was Cyrus and hollered for him to come in. Her back was to the door, but she heard it open and close, and felt the presence of another body in the room. She didn’t recognize the footsteps as Cyrus. His were much louder, shook the room. No this person was no giant.
“Hello Jax.”
“How did you know it was me, love?” There was a hint of laughter in his voice. The sound of his voice made her belly quiver. Her hands were trembling, but she tried her best to hide her fear from Jax.
“Lucky guess,” she replied, unable to turn yet. He had just crushed her excitement at hearing about Lilly.
“Huh, well anyway I was in Antiope recently.”
“okay.”
“Wait I’m not done. I was in Antiope because I heard your precious Lilly was there. I went to fetch her, to bring her to you, love.” She felt his hands on her shoulder, and she felt bile rise in her throat in disgust.
“You stay away from my daughter, and you get your fucking hands off of me Jax!” His hands dropped and he stepped back. She turned to face him, her face full of fury.
“My, my, aren’t you ungrateful? I ride for days in hopes of catching up to Lilly, and bring her to you and this is how you thank me? Really Annika, your Ordinary language is not very becoming.” She spit in his face.
“I told you to leave Lilly out of this. I told you I would do whatever you asked. You just have to leave my daughter out of this!” She was staring him in the eye. He wiped her saliva from his face, laughing.
“Stupid girl, I can’t do that. She is the chosen one to destroy me. I can’t let that happen. I thought you might like her here with you rather than buried in the ground. I don’t care either way, but she will not stop me Annika.” He was on the verge of screaming but took a deep breath before continuing.
“Besides, don’t think the thought of her being my daughter hasn’t crossed my mind. I do remember our last night together, the night before you fled.”
“She is not yours. She is nothing like you!”
“Yes well, I had to see that for myself. Unfortunately she was warned of my arrival and departed Antiope before I had a chance to meet her. Have no fear though, I will meet her soon enough.”
“Jax please leave her out of this.”
“I wish I could, but that’s just not realistic at this point.” He kissed her on the forehead, letting his lips linger there. She froze, knowing if she pushed him away that would encourage him. So she stood, unmoving, willing him to go away. The moment only lasted seconds, but felt like hours to Annie. He finally removed his lips from her head, and stepped back.
“If you need anything, food, drink, anything, you let a guard know. You can have anything your heart desires.”
“Except my freedom.”
“Yo
u will learn to love me Annika.”
“It’s Annie, has been since the day you drove Annika away with your rage!”
“You will learn to love me Annie, as I have always loved you. You will be my wife and together we will run this kingdom.” He paused before going on. “Please know how I love you, all you have to do is prove you love me too Annie. I will never hurt you if you just love me. I will stop the hunt on your daughter. I will stop my mission all together if you will just love me.” For a minute Annie saw the old Jax. The boy she had grown up with. The boy she played childhood games with, learned with, and became teenagers with, her best friend for the first eighteen years of her life. Before he let the evil overcome him.
At times, she still blamed herself for his current mental status. It was, after all, her refusal to marry him and her declaration of her love for another man who pushed him over the edge. What she would give to have her friend back. Jax Androni, not Jax Bane. The pain on his face caused her to let her guard down. “Oh, Jax, what has happened to you? Why can’t you be my best friend again?” She sighed sitting on the edge of the bed. “You know I do love you, at least I used to, just not the way you want me to. I am sorry Jax. You were like my brother and I miss the old you terribly. Can’t you just stop this evilness and we can work on being friends again, please?”
Her eyes were filling with tears because she meant every word. “I forgive you Jax, please forgive me.” He stood there, not speaking. His face had become so hard to read. She didn’t think she saw the hatred he usually wore though and hoped that was a good sign.
His voice was soft and low when he began to speak. “I have missed you every day of the last eighteen years Annika, sorry Annie. I have loved you since the day I knew what love felt like. I wish we could go back to the way things were before, but we can’t. You see Annika, the day you broke my heart is the day your best friend, Jax Androni, died and Jax Bane was born. I guess you could say we have both been re-born because of the hurt we caused each other. But, as much as I hate you, I love you more and will stop at nothing to make you mine.” With that he left the room.
She had gotten to him, and she knew it. There were cracks beneath that exterior and where there are cracks, there are openings. She would have to break the cracks wide open. She had to make him trust her again. Her life, Lilly’s life, and many of Neveahians’s lives depended on her making Jax trust and believe in her. After some serious thought, she decided she could pretend to love him. Why not? She didn’t have anyone else anyway. James was truly gone and had been since Jax killed him. She would pretend to love Jax. She would marry him. She would kill him.
The wheels in her mind started to spin. She would need a plan. She knew getting Jax to believe in her would not be easy. It would take time. She didn’t have a lot of time, not anymore. She had to stop him before he got to Lilly. She washed herself using the basin in the corner and rinsed her hair in lavender. She opened the wardrobe for the first time since her arrival and chose a flattering, but not too sexy, nightgown. She had never been over the top and couldn’t start now. No, she would have to remain herself if this plan was to work. Once dressed, she sat at the table and penned a note to Lilly:
Dearest Lilly,
I am sorry I led you here. I was naïve and made a terrible mistake and now you’re in danger because of me. Please listen to me now, go back. Go home with Shep. I will find my way back to you once I finish what I have started here. Please Lilly, go home!
Love,
Mom
She went to her window where her Aria had been the duration of her imprisonment. She folded the paper very small and instructed her Aria to find Lilly and give her the paper. The bird flew away and Annie prayed it would find Lilly in time.
She combed through her damp hair and pinched her cheeks for a tiny bit of color. Jax would be back tonight. She could feel him close by. When he came she would be ready.
~Chapter Eighteen~
Portland, Oregon
“How did he get to her? You were supposed to be watching her and Lilly. Now you’re telling me he has Annika, and Lilly has gone after her? How the hell did this happen?” He was pacing the room, screaming at the man in the shadow. His stomach was in knots and he thought he may vomit. He had been so careful never revealing himself. He took great pains to ensure the safety of his girls, but should have been expecting this, and was stupid to think Jax would watch in the shadows forever. He regained his composure, apologizing to the shadow man for his outburst. This was not his fault. He had done his job and done it well. The shadow man said nothing, just hung his head, clearly feeling guilty of failure.
James had kept his end of the deal, stay dead. Jax promised in return, to also leave Annie and Lilly alone. He should have been smarter than to trust Jax Bane, the man who tore his family apart before they were able to be a family. He had been outside of their lives, a ghost, for eighteen years. How he had longed to go to Annie, to hold his daughter, to be a husband and a father. Jax had stolen his family.
A stronger man would have never agreed to Jax’s terms. James didn’t know there was another way all those years ago. Then Annie fled Neveah, and he followed her. Jax came to him a few years back. He said he was just there making sure James kept his end of the deal. James assured him, he would never reveal himself to his girls as long as Jax left them alone. He was never able to figure out why Jax hadn’t killed him when he had the chance. Now he knew. Jax knew watching Lilly grow and Annika mend her broken heart would be crueler than death.
Now with Jax kidnapping Annie, and luring his daughter to an unforeseen death, he would not sit here and keep his end of the deal. All bets were off. He had prepared for eighteen years for the day he would face Jax. He would never back down to that man again. He gave instructions to the shadow man, who quickly disappeared.
James started to pack. He filled his bag with necessities and a picture he had stolen from Annie’s house. It was Lilly and Annie standing amongst the giant trees. Both wore smiles, but James could see the look of hurt in Annie’s eyes. He caught his own reflection in the mirror when he turned. His red hair was covered by a brown wig. He wore brown contacts to hide his green eyes. His pale skin was tan, and his once puny frame was muscular and strong. He was not the same James. He was stronger in every way and would defeat Jax this time. He tucked the photo in his pocket and shoved his handgun in the pack, hidden in between his clothes. Jax may have won the battle. He would not win this war.
The shadow man reappeared with a car in front of James’ condo. He opened the door, allowing James to crawl inside the heavily tinted car. The car drove south, though James was not going to Newberg. He knew of another portal to Neveah, one that would put him closer to where he thought Lilly might be, if his informant was correct. He would be with his daughter soon. He would help her get her mother, then he would kill Jax.
~Chapter Nineteen~
The journey to Lake Aruna had taken less than an hour by flight aboard the dragon, Lucy. When she landed she nudged her nose at Shep. He turned to her smiling, and patted her giant head. “Well, looks like I have some competition here.” I teased as I climbed off Lucy. “He is hard to resist huh Lucy?” I rubbed the dragon’s back, her scales soft to the touch. “Thank you,” I whispered and this time she nudged me. I giggled and grabbed my pack.
Serephina and Leah were right behind us. They had landed and gathered their things in record time. Clearly, they were anxious to get as far away from Jax as possible. I noticed a look of dread and fear in Leah’s eyes. She was more agitated than the rest of us, barking orders and hollering at everyone. We all tuned her out, knowing she was acting on fear and nothing more. We were all ready, waiting at the edge of the water.
“Lilly, look how green the water is!” Shep said, trying to take my mind off the current situation. “Yeah it’s great, you can see all the way to the bottom,” I replied flatly.
We had been waiting for a long time, and I was getting nervous now. “I thought this Barlaam would be he
re waiting for us,” I asked of no one specific. “He will be here,” answered Serephina. She had remained remarkably calm. I wondered if that was a trait of the elves. I didn’t dare ask. Everyone was on edge. I was sure even the little elf’s nerves would wear thin eventually. “He’s coming,” Serephina exclaimed with excitement. I was watching the water but saw nothing. Then, as if it had been invisible the seconds before, Barlaam, the water serpent, appeared.
He was gigantic, pitch black and terrifying to look at. He was waiting for us to board in the shallow waters of the shoreline. Serephina hopped on first, petting his head on the way up. Leah went next without a word. Maybe all her screaming left her speechless now. I looked at Shep, unsure of what to do. “Well, our ride is here my lady,” he said as he bowed, arms pointing to the serpent. Shep always knew when I needed a laugh or a break from reality or in this case a break from fantasy. I climbed up the serpent’s leg. I had been expecting him to feel slimy like a snake and was surprised he wasn’t at all. He was actually kind of rough under the dampness of the water. I climbed up onto his back with Shep trailing closely behind me.
The back of Barlaam was massive, like the deck of a boat. There was plenty of room for the four of us to fit comfortably. Once we were all aboard the great serpent ship, he pulled away from shore gliding through the water. I leaned on Shep and watched the clouds pass by. No one spoke. After traveling for a while, I noticed the sky was filling up with black clouds. “Uh oh, looks like it’s going to rain,” I said. No one responded. Shep rubbed my head and smiled at me. The tension was thick, but I had no idea why.
Neveah Box Series (Neveah Box Set Book 5) Page 14